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Wattala company withdraws case against Defence Ministry
View(s):A private garment company withdrew its Court of Appeal petition seeking an order to prevent the Defence Ministry from digging or removing soil from a plot of land belonging to it.The company, Monte Carlo Garment Pvt. Ltd. in Wattala, in its petition told the Court of Appeal that several military personnel had entered the land and removed earth from it using heavy equipment.
The company said one of its directors, M.S.M. Najimudeen, objected to the soldiers’ action but they told him they were carrying out orders issued to them by the Ministry of Defence. A solider who identified himself as Abeyratne told the company director the land had been illegally filled but the company denied the charge saying it requested the soldiers to stop removing earth from the land, according to the petition.
The company said it made a complaint to the Wattala police but the police took no action to evict the soldiers. It claimed in the petition that the land had never been filled and nor had it been identified by the Land Reclamation and Development Board as a low-lying area. It also claimed part of the land had been acquired for the construction of the airport highway.
The company said it had not received any notice from Land reclamation and Development Broad, the Agrarian Services Department, the Urban Development Authority or the local council alleging that the land had been filled unlawfully.
The company claimed that the land had lost much of its value because of the soldiers’ action and sought an injunction to stop the illegal activity.
The company cited the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the Police Chief, the Land Reclamation and Development Board and the UDA as respondents.
The company’s lawyer said they had decided to withdraw the case but declined to give reasons for it.
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